. >> reporter: the worry now is what wrangling in washington over spending cuts and the debt ceiling will mean for hiring. companies continued adding jobs even with the uncertainty over the fiscal cliff. and, many economists believe firms will increase payrolls this year in spite of the debt ceiling debate. >> i don't think that the spending cuts will be as significant headwinds for the u.s. economy because these spending cuts are made over ten- year period. there won't be a significant amount of spending cuts that will take place in 2013, so that's why i think it's less of an issue. >> reporter: still, there's ample concern about what the expiration of the payroll tax cut will mean for spending and ultimately hiring. don't forget all americans will see a smaller paycheck this year, because of that change. >> consumers aren't well poised to absorb a 2% tax increase and nonetheless that's what's going to happen, and it's going to keep us stuck in this slow growth territory. >> reporter: and, slow economic growth makes companies less confident about adding new workers. as a result, it